At French Open, Increasing Prize Money for Those Far From the Top

Somdev Devvarman, left, after losing to Roger Federer in the second round and earning about $45,000.

Thomas Coex / Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

By JUDY BATTISTA

May 29, 2013

PARIS — At the time, it was the best achievement of his burgeoning career. Somdev Devvarman was 18, had just finished playing juniors, and was a few months from starting at the University of Virginia, where he become a two-time N.C.A.A. singles champion. He was a wild-card entry into a futures event, the lowest rung in men’s professional tennis. He did not expect to win. He did.

“It was $1,000 to win it, and my expenses were way more than $1,000,” Devvarman said. “I was like, this is not cutting it. It was just a nice little kick to reality. Tennis is a tough sport. It’s not a cakewalk to make money on the professional tennis circuit, especially when you compare it to other major sports.”

Under pressure from players, led by some stars of the game, Grand Slam events might finally be making it a little less tough to make it for those who might never get near No. 1. They are increasing prize money particularly for players like Devvarman, who lost his second-round match to Roger Federer, 6-2, 6-1, 6-1, on Wednesday.

While most tennis riches accrue to a handful of top players, who make millions in purses and many more millions in endorsements, the focus of this year’s increase was on those whom Gilbert Ysern, the French Open tournament director, called “first-week players,” who make up the bulk of the draw with little chance of challenging for the title.

The men’s and women’s singles champions will earn 20 percent more this year than last (their total prize will be 1.5 million euros, about $1.9 million), but the biggest increase in prize money will go to the 112 players who will bow out in the second, third and fourth rounds of the men’s and women’s tournaments. Devvarman, for instance, earned 35,000 euros (about $45,000), 25 percent more than second-round losers made last year here. Had Devvarman upset Federer, he would have been guaranteed 60,000 euros (almost $78,000) if he lost in the third round, a 27.66 percent increase over last year — the biggest percentage increase of any round.

For players like Devvarman, who, according to the ATP Web site, had earned $147,254 this year entering the French Open — but who estimates he spends close to, if not more than, $100,000 a year out of his own pocket on travel, coaches and the other expenses of sustaining his career — the difference is potentially significant, allowing him to travel to more tournaments and employ more of the support staff, like physiotherapists, that top players use.

“These trips are so incredibly expensive,” said Lauren Davis, who pocketed $27,000 after a first-round loss. She first realized how expensive tennis was when she started traveling outside the country. “Especially with a coach, having to pay for his flights, hotels, food, him having to record everything, you see how much it comes up to, getting the hotel bill and knowing I have to pay for it, it’s tough at times.”

Davis, 19, had earned $103,000 before the French Open. Davis does not handle her money — her mother and agent do — but she said the increased prize money from the Grand Slam events could lead them to change her playing schedule.

Ysern said in an interview before the French Open: “It’s so difficult to reach the top 100, mainly on the men’s side, and once you achieve that, you don’t make that much money compared to other big sports. It is a weakness for our sport. It’s important that the public, the fans, the kids know that those who succeed at the highest level do make a decent living at it, which is not the case in tennis today. A player ranked 80 or 90 in the world has to make a choice between paying for the ideal structure for him to continue to move up in the rankings or saving money for the future.”

Players had grown increasingly agitated as the biggest tournaments continued to increase revenue — by adding extra days of play (as they have done at the French Open, where plays begins on a Sunday), and signing huge new television deals (ESPN just paid a reported $770 million to carry the United States Open for 11 years).

Tennis players still earn far less than other professional athletes as a percentage of revenue. The estimated revenue for the French Open this year is reportedly about $200 million; players will receive about $28.4 million, approximately 14.2 percent of revenue. It is still a long way from major professional team sports, where players receive much closer to 50 percent of revenue and are not responsible for paying the way of coaches, physiotherapists and mental coaches that most players feel are necessary to be competitive. The French Open will increase prize money by another $13 million by 2016.

“I’m very happy we’re making an improvement, I definitely am grateful,” Devvarman said. “I just feel like there is a lot of room for improvement.”

Justin Gimelstob, a former player who is a member of the ATP board, was a part of the discussions that have led to gains in player purses, and he said he was delighted with the additional money flowing to the first-week players.

“Our biggest lingering concern with the French Open remains the Sunday start,” Gimelstob said. “The players reluctantly supported a Sunday start under the premise of it being a handful of matches to help the event because of their lack of a night session and a smaller venue to generate revenue. However, we have been very disappointed in how Sunday has become a full day and the event has become a 15-day event.

“We believe we are partners with the Slams. We hope their continued success correlates to the recognition of the role the talent plays and is met with prize money appropriate to the revenue generated.”